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Let me ask you a question:When was the last time you visited a hospital?I heard the song "dr Feelgood" the other day which made me wonder...

Can an environment like a hospital make you feel good?

The answer: yes it can!Actually, that's what it was supposed to do in the first place, right?Be a place of comfort, healing, making you feel good again.

When I received an email about a dear friend who is very ill indeed it made me sad.Having a serious disease like hers is bad enough as it is, but this also means she has to visit hospitals regularly. Experiencing not too pleasant treatments.Her association of the hospital will most likely be effected by those not so feel good experiences.

In fact: there are many people like her who have a bad association with hospitals.They have to go there often to undergo not so pleasant things.Hospitals don't make them feel so good.

To them hospitals mean pain, fear, stress, insecurity etc.All stress inducing feelings.But like I just mentioned: stress does not improve healing.So a building can actually make you feel more sick.Quite the opposite of what a hospital was designed to do.

How you feel can make you heal. Since there is such a vast demand for healthcare, we have a problem with our current systems.They are not sustainable. Too costly and too many people need them.We simply cannot afford to continue providing healthcare the way we've grown accustomed to.Changes have to be made.

Luckily many doctors choose their health trade because they seriously want to make you feel good. They have invested a lot in research, trying to find out what they can do to help you release stress.One very important thing they have found is this:

comfort + beauty + luxury = well-being

a.k.a. less stressa.k.a. faster healinga.k.a. less medicationa.k.a. easier to treat patientsa.k.a. staff with less sick leave.

Imagine the cost that could safe longterm in our society!Imagine what it would mean to you as a patient if you'd feel better faster!

Isn't it a shame how things like beauty, comfort and luxury, the things that have proven to make us feel good, are often exactly the things we use to cut costs?

Isn't that a missed opportunity?Can you see how budgeting on beauty, luxury & comfort is actually costing us more in the long haul?How it should our 'business' to add more of those three,to create an environment that promotes health and feeling good?

Adding beauty -art- can reduce stress.Art can make you heal faster.Art can have healing properties. Research has shown us that it doesn't matter whether you see a real plant or a representation of a plant, like a plant on a photo: they both calm us, reduce stress and improve your well-being.

Why not use that given?

More and more hospitals and other healthcare institutions are waking up to this option, improving their spaces, adding in more beauty comfort and luxury so their environment really supports healing.These environments are called 'Healing environments'Often they have art that is made based on evidence found in research. Proven to support healing; evidence based art.

There are also the option of art projects that help patients change their perception of a hospital environment, 'cause what you CHOOSE to SEE, determines HOW you FEEL.The Moodlab has gotten excellent results with patients by organising Moodwalks in healthcare environments.

Of course the primary idea is to make sure you don't get sick in the first place.. But if you do need care: we all want you to feel good as soon as possible.And if that means adding more beauty, comfort & luxury to your environment, I'd say: 'Go for it!'So make sure you get your visit of dr. Feelgood to visit you, ;) ,add in beauty and create the space to be, heal & feel good.

Next time : let's go home!

See you then!Niene.nu

You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

Note: if you work in a hospital and you'd like to alter the perception of your hospital by your patient:Niene.nu has gotten some fantastic results with patients, bringing her inspiring Moodwalks to hospitals.Please check this page to learn more or send an email

The latest focus for corporations and countries worldwide is 'how to create flourishing workplaces.'

Well.. HOW DO YOU CREATE FLOURISHING WORKPLACES?Press 'play', get Lynn Marino going and read on!

As the January 2012 edition of The Harvard business review stated in “The Value of Happiness – how employee well being drives profits”, making people happy, pays off when you have a business.

Most people/businesses focus on the rational side of things and analyze data until they weigh an ounce.But according to research 80% of our behaviour is determined by emotion and only 20% by rationality.

Conclusion:It makes sense to notice how you make people feel.People don't buy facts, they buy emotions.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”~ Maya Angelou

As an example of the importance of feel good: In healthcare an elaborate study on pain relief proved that it's more relevant HOW a doctor injects pain-relief medication to reduce pain than WHAT he injects. Even if it is morphine...Isn't that remarkable?

SO HOW DO YOU MAKE PEOPLE FEEL?And how to go about if you want to make improvements?Is it just your tone of voice, gestures?It that all?

NOPE! IT'S SPACES!Spaces also have a huge impact on how you make people feel.Research has proven that adding in comfort, luxury & beauty, reduce stress and improves well-being.World wide many hospitals apply these facts and call it 'Healing Environments'.

In these 'Healing Environments' hospitals use art to add in beauty so that they can provide soothing spaces and improve well-being for their people.It's not just any picture that will do the trick, it is a special kind of art called 'Evidence Based Art'.Art that is made using data gained from research especially aiming to make you as a viewer feel good.

And not just any image will create that effect. If you'd like to see what images do:the Moodlab specialises in and provides people with more joy and 'Appetite for life' creating 'Evidence Based Art'. Look for examples HERE

It is a very useful way to enhance a space.Outlook on green has shown to reduces stress.Yet since not everybody always has the opportunity to do a total renovation, photo-art is an excellent quick and cheap alternative, since evidence based created images of green have the same effect as actual trees.

SO BEAUTY MATTERS!It means not only more relaxed people, but also less medication, patients that are easier to treat, more customer satisfaction and flourishing staff.Just think of the costs that would not only safe employers but our whole community!

And as said: well-being drives profits.It's a win-win.

I think ALL spaces could benefit, not just hospitals. Why would you want to wait until you get sick?If 'Evidence Based Art' reduces stress and improve well-being, why not implement it into offices? Joyful workplaces lead to better performance according to author and speaker Amanda Gore.And how about waiting rooms? Homes?Streets?

If you're still not convinced:A beautiful space is also a huge acknowledger. On a subliminal message you're telling your clients/patients/staff you care.And what all people want most in life is not happiness or money but to be acknowledged.That's also less destruction. The OOG-hospital in Rotterdam uses valet parking and luxurious furniture, besides art, to give their patients a sense of comfort and beauty. Experience tells them that people using the space take more care for their environment. There is no demolition of stuff. It triggers their sense of responsibility. People want to keep enjoying a beautiful environment.

So:Environments have a huge impact on how you feel.Yes: if the feeling doesn't come from the inside, you can use the outer world to trigger good feelings.Yes: this is a good idea!Yes: Evidence Based Photo-art will help you add in 'feel good' in an easy, cheaper and fun way.

So:Add in that beauty.Add in that art!

Niene.nu

You may absolutely share this article with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!

ABOUT NIENE.NU

As an artist, change-agent, storyteller, trailblazer, imagineer & coach, project-geek, knowmad and teacher, but most of all photographer, with lots of Appetite for life (and light), Niene.nu helps you engage your senses, & "change coats."

In other words: she helps you get through change so you can live an authentic life bursting with beauty, energy, creativity, inspiration, fun and feel good vibe!

Reading this blog will get you started, but if you really wanna get into the laband see what Niene.nu can do for you?Become a MoodLab Member and get her free book on how beauty can enhance your (work-)life.